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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28941924">sleeping with the fishes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/monstrosities_s/pseuds/monstrosities_s'>monstrosities_s</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Percy Jackson and the Olympians &amp; Related Fandoms - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Leo Valdez Being Leo Valdez, Lowkey Cottagecore, Will Solace Appreciation, calypso is a gardener, eh, old af haunted au, was gonna be a whole story but</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:07:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,567</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28941924</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/monstrosities_s/pseuds/monstrosities_s</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>caleo + will haunted house drabble ?? ok</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Calypso/Leo Valdez, Will Solace &amp; Leo Valdez</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>sleeping with the fishes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>leo smiled watching his girlfriend's face light up as they approached the cottage. far along the west coast of california, the two had driven through the late and early hours of winding country roads to find their new home and calypso had been drifting in and out of consciousness since dusk.</p><p>now the sun was rising over the horizon, illuminating the clouds a beautiful coral pink only broken by the dark silhouette of the cottage.</p><p>the cottage itself was small, the majority of the property taken up by elegant, european-style gardens and a dismal part of leo's brain told him that is was to keep it from collapsing when the shore eroded the ground from its foundation. perhaps it used to be bigger, and had been compromised for that exact reason, but it didn't look like it had undergone any major design changes since the 1400s.</p><p>"it's beautiful," calypso breathed, and leo couldn't disagree. the walls were bare brick and vines snaked up them as though to slither up to the intricately-grilled, vermillion-stained arched windows behind their rustic mahogany frames. it had shingled gable roofing with the odd dormer window and the overhang sheltering a quaint, flora-ridden porch. small accent tables and chairs with vintage decorative pillows were arranged to have the best view and charming potted plants littered most surfaces - leo even thought he noticed a circular chess board on one, with the pieces still strewn askew across the table. he turned to his girlfriend, who was making her way up the cobblestone walkway and occasionally bending to admire the flowers.</p><p>"you're sure he was living here? atlas didn't really strike me as a poppy kind of guy."</p><p>calypso turned her head to him, but didn't move her hands from the delicate violet petals.</p><p>"they're anemones. poppy petals are smaller, and glossier. these are quite matte, and they're pointed, look. purple ones are supposed to represent protection from evil," she had turned to examine the flowers while speaking, but now she was looking him straight in the eye, "my dad would have hated them."</p><p>leo put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she smiled sadly at him but didn't speak.</p><p>the door to the cottage was a matching mahogany to the window frames, and it was heavy to push open. when he finally got a glimpse of the inside, leo let out a breath of relief; it was livable. he had been joking earlier, but there actually was a very real chance that atlas clymene, wealthy beyond necessity, had bought the property only to abandon it to rot. it would also explain why he had written it to his disgraced daughter in his will, not that leo would ever tell that to calypso. </p><p>she admired the entranceway with a certain forlorn wistfulness that told leo she wished to be alone, so he gathered back up the luggage they had dropped and opted for their bedroom, wherever it may have been.</p><p>the corridors were candle-lit with sconces decorating the walls, further realising the classical vibes leo had gotten from the place, but he was astounded to find that even the bedroom did not have more modern lighting. in fact, there were no electric sockets in the room, either.</p><p>"seriously?"</p><p>for a moment he thought he heard an amused laugh from the doorway behind him, but whipped around to the empty threshold.</p><p>it wasn't that leo had never heard things before. sometimes it was difficult to distinguish between real and memory, as one of his high school counsellors had told him. but of all the things swarming and festering in leo's darkest thoughts, laughter had never scared him. and why would he hear things that didn't scare him?</p><p>just when leo was beginning to question his sanity, his girlfriend burst through the threshold, cinnamon hair askew.</p><p>"we need to buy a microwave!"</p><p>he chuckled at her frankness, all thoughts of disbelief leaving his mind as he gazed into her almond eyes. he felt a sudden wave of affection and general appreciation that she was there.</p><p>following her back down to the kitchen, he almost didn't notice that the two candles by the bedroom door had been extinguished.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>it was true that they needed to buy a microwave - and looking at the bare-bones kitchen, they needed to buy most every other appliance too.</p><p>"do we have a dishwasher? i love you, sunshine, but i really don't think i have that kind of patience. the mcshizzle can only handle so much boredom before he implodes."</p><p>calypso rolled her eyes at him.</p><p>"i think a new stove would be our first priority. it doesn't look like we have a freezer either, and that fridge isn't powered electrically so if we don't want to spend fortunes on ice then we need to replace that too."</p><p>"i don't get it, what's wrong with this stove?"</p><p>"it's gas. it uses up less energy than electric, but it's much worse from the environment," she raved, happy to talk about something she was passionate about even if leo had heard it a thousand times before, "it releases pollutants - formaldehyde, carbon monoxide - which are toxic both for us and the climate. this one has its own chimney installed to let the gas out, but that just means it'll take a bit for it to be removed. hence, we need a microwave."</p><p>she gave leo a wrought smile, and he smiled back at her adoringly, more for himself than her.</p><p>"in other words, our perfect free house is still gonna take a shitload of money."</p><p>he furrowed his brows at her - an expression that wasn't natural to him, he noticed, but he had been conditioned to associate with confusion through books and bad actors. he replied slowly, unsure.</p><p>"do you think we could spend a day just living the victorian life and getting settled in first? i know you're tired, and i'd like to unpack."</p><p>"are you saying i look tired?" calypso fake scoffed, and it was a mark of their relationship that she dropped her pristine persona to joke with leo, "i'll have you know that you have been bleary-eyed all morning, and would have fallen asleep at the wheel if it weren't for your thrilling taste in music."</p><p>the actual reason leo hadn't fallen asleep was a cross between his hyperactive brain and protectiveness for the girl in the passenger seat and calypso knew that, but he was glad she had brought neither up. he was more comfortable joking.</p><p>"hey! i'll have you know despacito is underrated!"</p><p>she laughed, and when she laughed everything was right in the world.</p><p>"you always manage to stay a solid year behind trends. remember fidget spinners? god, you need to get with the times."</p><p>"at least i don't listen to opera music, sunshine. one of us needs to get with the times, and it sure as hell isn't me. and, in my defence, fidget spinners help people with adhd!"</p><p>calypso's face flushed pink at being called out, and she did her best to hide her laughter while feigning insult.</p><p>she began to form a retort, but for once leo's eyes weren't focussed on his girlfriend.</p><p>"did you open that window?"</p><p>in the kitchen there were double sliding windows that took up the bulk of the east wall, but didn't reach the floor. there was a set of drawers below it, and the translucent silk curtains were tied at either side. calypso had already adorned the drawer cabinet with assorted potted succulents.</p><p>now, the curtains were fluttering in the breeze as one of the window panes had been slid open.</p><p>"no. i guess it must be windy outside."</p><p>"the window was latched, calypso. look."</p><p>it was true. the small silver key was still in the lock, and there was no way there had been enough of a breeze indoors to turn it.</p><p>"perhaps the spirits wanted some fresh air. it was getting stuffy in here, california weather and all that."</p><p>it always tensed leo a bit when she talked like that, because his catholic schoolboy upbringing did not give the same impression of spirits that she had. since then leo had quickly converted to atheism, but he still got a bit freaked out by anything paranormal.</p><p>"i'm sure the spirits don't care," he declared, closing the windows.</p><p>at this point calypso would usually bite back with a sassy but well-natured remark, but her peach lips were firmly shut, her expression unreadable. her eyes never left the window pane. finally, she spoke in a low, brittle voice.</p><p>"there's a boy in here, leo."</p><p>panic erupted in leo's throat and threatened to spill, but he kept his focus on his girlfriend and his tone equally quiet.</p><p>"are you sure?"</p><p>she nodded lightly, but didn't speak. after moments of what looked like gathering courage, she spun on her heel and turned around.</p><p>leo mimicked her actions, and was both relieved and disappointed to see the kitchen empty.</p><p>"he...he was here. i saw his reflection in the window."</p><p>it would have been easy for leo to disregard her, pass it off as the delusions of a tired young woman in mourning. in fact, calypso had claimed to several supernatural experiences in the past that leo could have easily explained away with science. but there was something about the look on her face, something tristful in her eyes that illuminated her as the moon does a lake, but not unlike the despondent face she wore when atlas passed or even, if leo recalled, when speaking of her late mother, that called to him. instead, he battled to keep his voice steady.</p><p>"what did he look like?"</p><p>"floppy blond hair, like a sunflower blond, not honey. his hair was kind of covering his eyes, but i could tell they were bright - blue, i think. i couldn't say how tall he was from the angle. he, uh - he was smiling, but not in a haughty or vindictive way. he has a nice smile. he's not really stocky, but i wouldn't call him skinny either. he had an ear piercing ! nothing flashy, just a gold stud i think, but that's pretty notable, right ?"</p><p>calypso misinterpreted leo's question, taking more of a witness account-type approach as if leo was going to be given a lineup of men and had to choose the sunflower blond with an ear piercing and a nice smile.</p><p>"did he look like a ghost?"</p><p>her face fell, and he almost regretted asking.</p><p>"i - i don't think so. he wasn't ghostly pale or anything, sunkissed if anything. and he wasn't translucent, or glowing, or floating or whatever ghostbuster thing you're expecting."</p><p>"do you think he was dead?"</p><p>she turned back to face the window, her face unreadable.</p><p>"i think he was."</p><p>there was so much more that leo could have asked, but that seemed like a sensible halt to their ghost talk for now. they headed to the garden porch to try and distract themselves, but calypso clearly needed some time alone, and so leo left to a local aldi's to stock their fridge and give her some space.</p><p>when he returned home calypso had already fallen asleep on the sofa. it was getting dark outside, so he left their reusable shopping bags on the countertop and carried her to their bed.</p><p>calypso wasn't heavy, but neither was leo particularly strong and so carrying her bridal style was no easy feat. after several close calls, he finally lowered her onto the forest green duvet of their four-poster canopy bed, a strange aching in his arms that leo realised with a start must have been his muscles. he abruptly turned on his heel into the hallway, careful not to wake her but eager not to forget the groceries. he closed the thick oak door softly, casting one final glance at his sleeping beauty.</p><p>"i'm sorry if i scared you earlier."</p><p>leo barely processed the words, busy jumping out of his skin and whisper-yelling spanish curses that were barely coherent in his shock.</p><p>when he came to his senses, he was actually rather relieved to see the speaker translucent and ghost-like in the candlelight. certain he was hallucinating, leo stomped back to the kitchen, his groceries still his first priority.</p><p>"you know, most people are usually pretty interested when they see a ghost."</p><p>"i'm not seeing a ghost. apparently i'm just schizophrenic."</p><p>the boy's expression soured.</p><p>"it's actually a huge misconception that anyone who hallucinates is schizophrenic. did you know one in twenty people have hallucinated at some point? hypnagogic and hypnopompic hallucinations are completely normal, though i don't think you're falling asleep right now. i guess sleep deprivation would probably be the cause - i know how long it takes to drive here, and god, it's insufferable driving alone."</p><p>it was about then when leo started to freak out. he had no clue what the thing was talking about, which surely meant that it was nothing leo's own brain had thought up to hallucinate. getting a closer look at him, he actually fit calypso's description almost perfectly - sunflower blond, bright blue eyes. with every matching feature panic arose in leo, and by the time he saw the gold stud in his ear leo was hyperventilating.</p><p>"hey, don't freak out ! i'm not here to hurt you, i swear. i swear to god, i'm not gonna hurt you. breathe - breathe with me."</p><p>his blue eyes locked onto leo's own in an oddly soothing gestsure, and he actually helped him with a breathing exercise, smiling sweetly when leo finally settled.</p><p>"my name's will. atlas rented this place to me while i finished medical school."</p><p>will was taller than leo (which wasn't difficult) but he looked a few years younger. leo doubted he ever got to finish medical school.</p><p>"were you laughing at me earlier?"</p><p>will looked confused for a moment, but laughed once again when he remembered.</p><p>"in the bedroom? yeah, sorry about that. but i remember how annoyed i was when i realised there was no electricity here."</p><p>"so there's really nothing? not even ac?"</p><p>"don't worry, i had power installed under the main building a couple years back. it took a while, but..."</p><p>will's smile dropped, and his eyes glazed over for a moment, his features slack.</p><p>"sorry, forgot what i was talking about for a minute there ! " he snapped back into reality, smiling again, "what were you saying?"</p><p>leo was getting creeped out again, but there were still questions he needed answering. questions that he couldn't avoid and still call himself sane.</p><p>"are you dead?"</p><p>will furrowed his brows, opening his mouth to say something that looked like 'what?' but made no noise. the sun was setting in the window behind him, and his bright silhouette looking less and less vibrant. his movements were sharp and twitchy, as though he were glitching.</p><p>leo called out to him, but will didn't seem to hear him. in a moment of desperation, leo reached out to grasp his elbow, but maybe that was the final straw. will disappeared.</p><p>every thought that had been previously buzzing around his head, swarming and throbbing inside his skull, disappeared with will, and leo suddenly found himself very tired. ghosts and groceries forgotten, he traipsed back to the bedroom.</p><p>calypso said something to him as he laid down, still fully clothed, but the second his head hit the pillow he was out like a light.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>this was going to be a whole story with percy and the whole gang being ghosts and leo v i b i n g but i abandoned it so,, here we go.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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